Chapter Eleven
Carter didn’t want to hurt the pretty blond. Bailey seemed sweet, and had his tastes run toward women, he would have given her a second look. But he didn’t want a woman. He wanted… He stared at Gideon and Eli, at Alex looking so relaxed. He wanted what they had. A sense of communion he could feel, had felt, but now seemed outside of that circle.
Because of the female. A woman always seemed to come between him and those he loved. Society’s fucking rules. Gays had no place in the world, at least not in the one he’d left. But here, with these Circs, there’d been no right or wrong with them. They’d fucked and held each other, and he’d been more.
Bailey, though, she— “What are you doing?” He stared with wide eyes as she went on her knees before him.
He sensed her beast, knew right then it wanted him, and he…settled. He shook his head, sought Gideon, and was surprised by the man’s smile.
“Come on, Bailey. Do him. We want to watch you make him lose his mind,” Eli teased. “She’s wicked hot, man. You’ll come so hard.”
Bailey ran her fingers up his thighs, her claws shorter than his, but no less sharp. The slight sting as she drew blood surprised him.
He liked it.
A fire started in his groin, his balls already tight from fucking and needing to release again. His cock thickened, the desire for sex and affection all bound up—but he sensed she knew that.
He looked at Bailey then, as more than a woman, but as the Circ who belonged to the group. The piece of the puzzle who’d been missing, though he had a feeling they hadn’t finished growing as a pack. His beast knew there were more out there. Bondmates for each of them, maybe.
Carter, the man, tried to take charge. But his beast—and hers—refused to let him. Gideon suddenly stood behind him, that fat cock nudging his ass.
“Open up, Carter. We need you.”
No one needed Carter. Except… He palmed Bailey’s head, feeling the soft strands of her pretty blond hair between his large fingers. “Suck me?” his beast asked, though Carter had meant to demand.
Bailey moaned and opened her mouth, her breasts rosy, her skin flushed. She slid full lips over his slick cockhead, and he bucked deeper, unable to stop himself.
Bailey didn’t flinch. She continued to take him in, until he hit the back of her throat.
The ecstasy was unexpected. She totally enveloped him. Like Eli and Alex had, but with so much more than her mouth. Emotional fingers trailed from his cock to his heart, stroking as she bobbed over him.
Behind him, Gideon prodded his cheeks apart and pushed. Being taken by his alphas was his world. A thick intrusion burned, then his body gripped hard, needing the penetration. Bailey continued to suck and drag her mouth over him. Her fingers palmed his balls, and he felt a burst of come shoot from his dick.
“So good.”
“Shit yeah,” Eli said. “I want a piece of that sandwich.”
Alex laughed.
The inclusive mood turned from affectionate to sexual, amping the need. Gideon rammed harder. Bailey drew him deeper, her hands firmer on his sac, priming him. Carter put his hands on either side of Bailey’s head, but he didn’t pull her closer, afraid of hurting her.
Gideon ground and angled his cock, driving into Carter’s happy spot. He jerked into Bailey’s mouth.
“Fuck her, already. She’s Circ. She wants it. Can’t you feel it?” Gideon snarled and pounded him into Bailey.
Carter had no control, but his beast loved it—being fucked by Gideon while taking her too.
Bailey scratched him, drawing blood, and he roared, lost to his beast. He withdrew from her mouth and yanked her to her feet, pulling away from Gideon as he did so. Then he bent Bailey over, braced against the SUV, and dug into her ass. The way he liked it. A hard anal fucking that had her begging for more as he let loose all restraint.
Gideon returned, hammering into him again, and the threesome made Carter lose his mind. He howled as he poured into her, as Gideon poured into him.
Threads of affection wove him closer to the group, until he could feel Bailey’s feminine energy accepting him, pulling him into a loving heart.
Sappy but true, and he felt it from all of them. From so many who’d never had a home, to this new place of belonging. He did his best to catch his breath as Gideon withdrew, but he remained locked inside Bailey. Her ass hugged him, and she felt damn good.
“Mmm. Again, Carter.”
He didn’t have the energy. Except he did. And as he took Bailey once more, he wondered how the sex among them could get any better. And when they could put that thought to the test.
Gideon watched Carter finish inside Bailey, still in a daze at how this orgy had started in the first place. He hadn’t meant to hurt the woman or God forbid force his attentions, but her beast had made it pretty clear she wanted him. Not liking the fact Bailey—the woman—hadn’t seemed to want him back, he’d waited.
And had been rewarded with more emotion than he knew what to do with. What the fuck had just happened?
He glanced around and saw Eli and Alex going at it again, this time in a sixty-nine on the ground that threatened to get his motor running once more. Thankfully, he’d given the last of his sexual arousal to Carter. Fuck, that guy’s ass was like heaven. Almost as good as Bailey’s fine pussy.
It would have been so easy to chalk up everything they’d done to Circ sex. But the emotional aspect to their connection had been there from the start. Only now with Bailey, it felt more complete.
She’d done something to him, something that shared his beast’s power, and he didn’t know if he liked it. Oh, his beast was thrilled with the female, thoughts of breeding with her at the forefront of his mind. But the danger present… He needed to take care of Norton, Lang, and Smith. Especially Smith.
His dead friends had to be avenged. Yet the thought of their passing no longer hurt him so deeply that he had to seek numbness to survive. Bailey had done something that softened his pain. He wanted to be pissed, but he could better function now. His gift for ferreting out his opponent’s weaknesses would be stronger if he could add his rage to the mix. The burning need for revenge gave him an edge, one they’d need to get back at the assholes who’d hurt them.
He glanced down at his messy body. He wore blood and semen. He’d been super far up Carter’s ass—that ass that was even now flexing as he pumped into Bailey’s fine body.
He’d fucked her hard enough to have a ton of cubs—kids—but he had a feeling they wouldn’t be having any babies tonight. He couldn’t have said how he knew, but he had a feeling the sex had been to lay a foundation for the group. Not to make kids.
Thank God.
He had no idea how being Circ worked in all its peculiarities. Probably should have stayed for more lessons from Doc and the guys, but being around another group not his own had bothered him. Not to mention those Feds had been more than annoying. His pack needed their own territory.
“I’m done. Shit,” Carter groaned. “Bailey, honey, thank you.” He eased away and left a mess.
The guys on the ground had finished with a lot of swearing and moaning. They stood, looking drunk on pleasure.
“I feel so good,” Eli said.
Alex threw an arm over his shoulders. “Me too. Man. An orgy. Great stuff.”
Eli snickered.
Bailey straightened, stretched, and sighed. “I feel like I just ran a marathon.”
Gideon crossed to her and gave her a good looking-over. “You okay?”
“I feel really mellow.” She yawned, and her fangs had retracted to look tiny. She appeared kittenish, but he didn’t think she’d appreciate the analogy.
Hiding a smile, he folded her into his arms. She fit.
He’d never had a girlfriend for more than a few months before shit hit the fan. Sex would get boring. The chick’s gold-digging ways would turn him off. He’d need to move because the cops were getting closer. Or the kicker—the ladies didn’t like Rod and Ollie.
But this woman—Circ—liked his new friends. She seemed to think they belonged to her, like they belonged to him. His inner beast didn’t disagree. Huh.
She glanced up at him and shocked him with a blush. “I’m still naked.”
He grinned. “I noticed.” She had the perfect body. She stood a head smaller than him but had a rockin’ frame. A slender belly, toned legs, a bitable ass and perfect breasts. Not too much, but they totally fit in his hands. High and firm. And so pretty.
“What now?” she asked.
The guys paused and looked to him.
A good question.
Gideon considered their options. “Now we find that file in Jersey. Once we read it, we decide how we’re going to handle Lang and his dickhead cronies.” To forestall Alex, he added, “We’ll call in Circe’s Recruits, don’t worry. But we’re using them as a cleanup team to take care of the mess we’re going to make of Lang’s new lab. He needs to go.”
Bailey cleared her throat. “Me too?”
“Oh, honey. You’re part of the pack now. Can’t you feel it?”
The others watched her, and they reacted when she did something funky with her feelings. “Oh, yes. I feel it.” She smiled up at him, and he knew he’d never seen anything more beautiful in his life than her golden eyes. “I feel all of you. That’s so weird.”
They laughed, easing into a new camaraderie that would have its ups and downs. But man, Gideon had a new family. Time to make sure it stayed protected. And his.
***
Bailey glanced around the new van they’d “liberated” from a used car dealership at the ocean. They’d finally reached New Jersey, only to steal a car. She still had a hard time being involved in a crime, but the guys promised they’d make it right with the owners. I’m so not jailbait material, she kept telling herself.
She looked out the front window and saw Alex and Gideon walking toward the lockers. Number sixty-nine, Katie’s favorite number. She gave a sad smile, remembering her friend and appreciating the courage it must have taken to save others in the face of her own danger.
Alex had shared with them the fact that his sister had abilities like his. But he’d never realized she might know of her own death and done nothing to prevent it. Bailey could still feel his pain when he remembered Katie, but it had been tempered by the affection the team shared for one another.
“You’re projecting again, cuteness.” Eli grinned at her.
She rolled her eyes. “Cuteness?”
Carter chuckled. “It’s better than tight ass, which he calls me. That or Lurch.”
She tried not to laugh.
“So you’re feeling our emotions? That’s being empathic, right?” Carter said.
“I don’t know. It’s weird. Since we all…well, you know. On Saturday, when we were, um, together.”
“Together. Yeah.” Eli sighed. “We need to get together again. My mojo’s back and wanting another round.”
Carter flushed. “Ignore him, Bailey. You were saying?”
Gideon and Alex were returning from the lockers with a suitcase. “Before I was made Circ, I didn’t think of myself as psychic.” The guys had mentioned that Lang had used psychic test subjects. “I had flashes of what I’d call women’s intuition. Mostly about people, who to trust, stuff like that.” She frowned. “I never liked Myers or Yates.”
Eli snorted. “Yeah, join the club. Fuckers kidnapped us and injected us with all kinds of shit. I wasn’t psychic.”
“He’s lying.” Carter kicked back in the backseat, stretching out his long, long legs. “I’ve always been able to get people to do what I want, though not to the extent I can now. But not Eli. He’s got a natural shield. Not much affects him. He’s immune to a lot of suggestion, even when it’s for his own good.”
Eli shot him the finger, and Bailey tried not to laugh. To her surprise, she felt comfortable with the guys. Reminders of the sex they’d all shared, shockingly, didn’t bother her at all, because they’d all been in the grip of that desire. Carter felt like a snuggly older brother. Eli’s appreciative glances made her feel pretty. Cared for.
Alex made her want to offer comfort and protect him. But Gideon… She stared at him. He challenged her, affected her beast in a different way than the others did. She didn’t know what to make of him.
“So when we’d tangle in fights in the underground circuit,” Carter was saying, “it was like fighting a rock.”
“Thanks.” Eli preened.
“An obnoxious rock.” Carter opened the van and Alex slid inside. “Did you get it?”
“Yeah.” Alex patted the suitcase. “Drive, Eli.”
Gideon had already entered the front passenger seat, so Eli hit the gas and they took off.
Gideon turned around to watch Alex. “Alex said this thing has his sister’s scent on it. We don’t have the combo to open it but—”
Alex elongated the nails on one hand and ripped open the locks.
“—we apparently don’t need it. You okay, Alex?”
Alex cleared his throat. “Yeah.” He glanced down at the folders and thumbed through them, handing a few to Bailey.
What she read stunned her, and she’d only seen a few pages. “Oh my God. This is…”
“The answer we’ve been looking for.” Alex’s eyes glowed, and the pupils elongated before shifting back to normal. “Time to plan, Gideon.”
“Right. Sure. But first, we need to eat.”
“Amen to that.” Eli rubbed his belly.
They drove away from the beach and found a small mom and pop diner off the turnpike. Once there, they ordered enough food to feed a small nation, drank a gallon of milk and coffee, then leafed through the papers Katie had given her life to secure.
“This is gold,” Gideon said, once again taking charge, naturally.
Bailey wondered that she didn’t take offense to being told what to do. Though Gideon had a few years over her, he’d been thrust into being a Circ just like her. So though larger, he didn’t necessarily have “rank” to pull over her. But his ability to take charge eased her mind. He seemed to know just how to handle the group.
He gave Carter the responsibility of bringing up the rear and protecting everyone’s back. Alex was his standby guy, the big, badass, intelligent protector who could charm as easily as break limbs. Eli remained the muscle, the driver, the guy who ripped out throats and asked questions later. He seemed to be a triggerman, if Bailey had to put a title to his duties.
And her… Gideon shot her a look before pouring himself more coffee. Bailey was by his side. Protected yet not. She didn’t see where she fit, exactly, and she wanted to have a conversation with him in private about that. But she still wanted to be a part of this big plan, whatever it might be.
Gideon put his coffee down and pushed aside his third helping of a huge stack of pancakes, though he chewed through the bacon on the side. “Okay, so here’s what we know.” He glanced around, but considering they were the only ones in the diner, with the exception of an old lady bickering with her husband at the counter, Bailey thought him safe to go on.
“We have addresses, names, and financial records. The jackpot. Carter is not only a huge-ass teddy bear, but he’s also a recreational hacker.”
“Aw, you say the nicest things.” Carter blushed.
Eli shook his head. “Keeping secrets?”
Carter shrugged. “Not something you tell strangers. That you like to break into restricted sites for fun. Government, banking, technology. It’s all data, in the end. But people can be touchy about sharing. Some might consider what I do offensive.”
“Federally offensive, you mean?” Bailey snorted. “Everyone knows that kind of stuff is” —she lowered her voice— “against the law.”
Gideon frowned and continued, “So Carter’s going to transfer a large amount of money from Amelia Norton’s subverted accounts—the money she’s shoveling into her fucked up Circ project,” he said through gritted teeth. “And we’re going to have our startup money.”
“Startup for what?” Bailey had no idea what he was talking about.
“We’re going to offer bodyguard services to the rich and famous. Preferably non-asshole types overseas. Point is we’ll pick and choose our clients. And we’ll work in teams. No individual projects. We’re pack.” Gideon glanced at Alex. “All of us, together.”
Alex nodded, his eyes bright, a half-smile on his face. “You know, that sounds interesting.”
Gideon seemed satisfied. “So you’re sticking around then?”
“Yeah. It’s a good call, making use of our abilities. That’s kind of what I used to do before ending up a part of this nonsense. I was a sort of PI, and a good one.”
“What’s ‘sort of’ a PI?” Eli wanted to know.
“The unlicensed kind. I worked under the table for people with big wallets.”
Eli looked impressed. “Nice.”
Gideon took charge of the conversation once more. “So we’ll work the cases. Carter will be on standby as a guard slash IT guru, and Bailey’s gonna be our expert on communications and logistics. Kind of like the stuff you said you did at U-Ground, except on a smaller scale.”
His plan sounded doable. Smart, challenging, something she could be a part of with a clear conscience. “I can do that.”
“Yeah, you can. With your gift for being able to read people, and Alex’s for reading things, you two can be the face of the company. You’ll be able to see who’s fair to guard and who’s not. If you think about it, we could have a kickass team and make a killing too.”
Bailey was excited by the prospect. It would be something to keep her mind engaged, and working with the family she’d bonded with. She had no one else. Her parents remained distant, her few college friends even more so. Heck, she’d never been so intimate, emotionally or otherwise, as she was with these Circs.
“What are we going to call ourselves?”
Eli narrowed his eyes. “Gideon Enterprises.”
“Bullshit.” Gideon frowned.
“Why not? You’re our leader, or at least, you think you are. I’m gonna keep you on your toes, jefe.”
“Shut up, Eli.”
Eli grinned. “Yeah, I like it.”
“Me too.” Alex nodded.
Carter and she agreed as well, before she had to add, “But all of this is moot if we don’t get rid of the people determined to kill us.”
Gideon nodded. “Good point. So here’s what we’re going to do. And Carter, you have to get this right from the get-go or we’re screwed.”
Carter cracked his knuckles, then dug into his fifth omelet. “No problem. You need to steal some money then hide it in the virtual world? I’m your man.”
“He’s so cute when he’s talking geek.” Bailey grinned.
The others laughed.
Then Gideon explained the plan, and things got real.
***
Roane returned to the compound and sought his Circs, who were eating with Doc and their mates in the big house. They continued to take at least two meals together per week, needing that closeness they’d always have. He still thought himself lucky beyond compare at having come through so much in his life to be where he was today.
His beautiful mate—and bride—sat bouncing their son in her lap while Hale, McKinley, and Paige argued about trick or treating protocol next month. Doc laughed with Diego, the pair holding hands at the table. Zack and Ace each had a hold of their vicious kids while Kelly laughed at her mates and babies. God, what a handful, but so adorable. Especially when little Max tried to climb up his father’s arms like a squirrel.
“Ow, Max. Stop it. Down, boy.” Zack finally caught the kid before he could launch through the air at Roane, his favorite uncle.
“Uncle Wone.” Max held out his arms.
Ace snickered. “I think our boy wants time with the fun uncle.”
“No way. Last time he scratched up my pretty face,” Roane said, trying not to grin even as he motioned for Max to jump.
In a dry voice, Caitlyn, his wife, answered, “I think we’ll all survive.”
Max jumped, using his innate Circ reflexes to push his little two and a half-year old body across the room at real speed. But Derrick stood fast to intercept the flying boy, tickling him into giggles.
Sabrina patted her rounded belly. “God willing, D, we have girls.”
“I don’t know.” Derrick glanced at little Alison cooing at Ace. “She has him wrapped around her tiny fingers. Can I handle another female tying me in knots?” His pointed glance at her made her blush.
Roane had it all. Friends, family, love. But seeing the new guys and their troubles brought it home to him that safety was an illusion. His team had been through tough times, and they no doubt would be again.
“So tell us, Roane. What happened?” Doc asked.
The room quieted, even the toddlers hushing. Jacob laid his dark head on his mother’s shoulder and sucked his thumb. Man, Roane loved that boy.
He coughed to clear the emotion from his thick throat. “They came back. Our guys spotted them in a stolen van—no surprised there—picking up something from a row of lockers at the beach.”
Hale frowned. “But they didn’t come back to us with it.”
“Not yet,” McKinley said. “Remember, they’re not part of us. Not really. They have to do this their way first.”
“You’re defending them?” Paige, his mate, asked. “I’m surprised. I thought you’d be all for pulling them in and letting you and General Shield’s men handle this.”
Roane silently agreed. This kind of operation was right up McKinley’s alley.
“Normally I would. And you know we’ll be there to take charge once Mike”— General Shields—“determines we need to. But there’s something to be said about wiping the slate clean, personally.”
The guys all nodded. They’d been there, wanting to punish Dr. Elliot Pearl and his underlings themselves, to know things had been handled. “They probably don’t trust the government either,” Roane said. “Remember, the guys we’re talking about are all ex-cons and thieves.”
“Except for Bailey,” Doc added. “How do we know she’s okay?”
The one fly in the ointment. Hell, one? Make that another one.
“Well, Hayashi pointed her out to Gideon and Alex. That has to mean something good, right?” Kelly asked.
They all trusted the psychic Circ, a member of the ex-SEAL team down South.
“It could.” Roane paused. “I can’t say for certain, but Alex and Gideon seemed a lot more settled than the last time we’d seen them. And you know how taking mates helped us.”
Ace nodded. “Got a point.”
“Yeah, but one female for all the guys? They’re not all mated to her, are they?” Derrick asked. “I mean, finding Caitlyn helped us a lot, but I was still a little iffy until Sabrina.”
“A little?” Hale snorted.
“Up yours, Rogers,” Derrick snarled, having tempered his fuck you comments because of the little ones at the table.
Hale chuckled.
“You know,” Doc said slowly, “you Circs are evolving. I’ve been in touch with other experts over the past year especially, and we’re finding that some groups are clicking in a different way. Taking that mating heat and condensing it, making the need for just one female a necessity rather than one for each member. Who knows? She might complete their circle, or she could just stabilize it.”
“Or she could be held against her will by big, strong monsters,” Sabrina said, no give in her tone. “You need to find out. She should be there of her own free will, not because we were too lazy to help her.”
“There’s my girl.” Derrick hugged her. “Still a little boss under all the baby.”
“Shut up, Derrick.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The others laughed and grinned.
Roane sighed. “I know, I know. Let’s eat, see what the tail on them reports back, then we’ll head in. Okay?” He stroked his son’s head, taken with the tiny purr of contentment. He kissed his mate. “Now pass the burgers.”
***
Unbeknownst to Circe’s Recruits, the federal agent tailing Gideon made another call after contacting Roane.
“I swear. I have no idea what was in that suitcase. I couldn’t get closer without being made. You know they can smell people. I told you I wasn’t the guy to follow. They know me from the gym.” Where he’d had his ass handed to him by Elijah Ortiz.
A pause, then the agent paled. “Fine. I’ll let the others know. But you have to pay the money tomorrow. I’m on the hook for a lot, and they said they’ll hurt my wife if I don’t give them fifty grand by tomorrow night.”
After being promised his payment, he prayed they’d follow through. Then he called a few more people and set the plan in motion. God bless those poor bastards tomorrow.
Amelia Norton, he’d come to learn a little too late, didn’t know the meaning of the word mercy.